Granting Son's Last Wish, Mom Opens Orphanage in Nairobi

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:35:00 GMT

When 15-year-old John Halgrim told a Make-a-Wish volunteer that his last wish was to open an orphanage in Africa, the volunteer was dumbfounded. Normally, the foundation grants requests such as meeting a celebrity or taking a trip to Hawaii. She wasn’t sure that Make-a-Wish could carry out such an ambitious, long-term request. “Do you have a second wish?” she asked John. The answer was no. “God didn't allow this to happen to me so I would get something out of it," John said, referring to his illness.

As Make-a-Wish struggled to figure out how to grant John's request, his mother arranged for him to meet with a local pastor and explain his desire to help destitute children in Africa. After he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, John had deepened his relationship with God. So he was thrilled when the pastor asked if he could videotape John discussing his vision for an orphanage that would serve children orphaned by AIDS.

After showing the videotape to a few congregations, the pastor had raised enough money for John’s mom to proceed with designing and constructing an orphanage in Nairobi. Two weeks before he died, John was shown an architect’s sketch of the John E. Halgrim Orphanage in Nairobi. And last month, one year after John’s death, his mother flew to Nairobi to welcome neighborhood children into the building.

Photo: Help the Least of These

Boy Dies After Being Granted His Last Wish

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:35:00 GMT

Lorraine Fleming, whose son Reece died of cancer recently, is holding on to the comfort that Reece was granted his last wish before he died: to marry his school sweetheart.

After 8-year-old Reece, who had battled cancer for half of his life, was told that he had only a few weeks to live, he popped the big question to Elleanor Pursglove, his close friend of many years. She accepted, and on the appointed day, Elleanor arrived at Reece’s house in a wedding dress. Her mother acted as vicar as the school friends exchanged rings and vows. Reece, dressed in his favorite shirt, also presented Elleanor with a red rose.

Prior to getting “married,” Reece had told his mother, “I’m not ready to go yet.” But the night of the wedding, he seemed truly at peace. “Mum, I can go now,” he told Lorraine. He died the next day.

Reece had fulfilled many other life ambitions as well, such as riding in a Ferrari and a Porsche, having a pirate party, and spending a day at a fire station.

Photo: The Daily Mail

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Granting Son's Last Wish, Mom Opens Orphanage in Nairobi

Boy Dies After Being Granted His Last Wish